1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method for performing overlay printing by superimposing text data or image data with a form that has been created by a form creating apparatus, and a program therefor.
2. Description of the Related Arts
A presently in use printing technique employs a colorless, transparent toner (a clear toner (a transparent coloring material)).
Conventionally, when this printing technique and a common colored toner are employed, high quality printing can be provided using regular paper, or even using paper having a low unit cost, such as recycled paper.
Specifically, a clear toner is applied to the surface of a sheet on which an image, for example, has been printed, to change the glossiness of the paper. The clear toner is also employed to stably fix targeted objects to printing material, as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H01-085766 (1989) and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-223762.
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H01-085766 (1989) is employed to perform a waterproofing process for the surface of a print medium, to prevent the deterioration of a printed image through the smearing or the bleeding of ink that has been discharged by the print head of an inkjet printing apparatus.
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-223762 forms an ink acceptance layer on an appropriate portion of a sheet base material, such as a plastic film or a plastic card, to enable inkjet printing.
Further, some types of image forming apparatuses, such as copiers and printers, include functions such as stapling or punching, or paper folding for bookbinding, that are to be performed for a print sheet after printing has been completed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-234395 discloses a technique according to which clear toner is pre-applied to a print sheet portion, wherein stapling or punching is subsequently to be performed, that may be assumed will easily be torn over time, and should, therefore, be physically reinforced to provide improved print sheet durability.
Furthermore, the following is a conventional technique for printing the above described text data and image data. Specifically, on a print sheet, printing areas are determined, based on which data are to be printed and the locations in which the data are to be printed, and then, during the printing process, a common color toner is applied only to the printing areas.
In addition, there is another printing technique according to which, for the printing of text data and of image data, a printing area for which a normal color toner is employed is designated on a print sheet.
However, when the printing result obtained by employing a clear toner is compared with the conventional printing result obtained by employing a normal color toner, the thickness of a print sheet is increased by a value equivalent to the thickness of the coating of the clear toner. Also, when a clear toner is applied to a portion of a print sheet that is to be turned over or folded, so that, a process, such as stapling or punching, is to be performed for the print sheet, and the thickness thereof is increased, ease in handling the print sheet is deteriorated. Furthermore, when the thickness of the print sheet is increased, post-printing processes, such as the paper folding process for bookbinding, are also adversely affected.